George Pakos

{{Infobox football biography

| name = George Pakos

| image =

| full_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|7|14}}

| birth_place = Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

| height = 1.78 m{{Cite web |title=Profile |url=https://www.canadasoccer.com/profile/ |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Canada Soccer |language=en-CA}}

| position = Second striker

| youthyears1 = Gorge Soccer Association

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 =

| years2 =

| years3 =

| years4 = 1989

| clubs1 = Victoria West United

| clubs2 = London Boxing Club of Victoria

| clubs3 = Victoria Riptide

| clubs4 = Victoria Vistas

| caps1 =

| caps2 =

| caps3 =

| caps4 = 18

| goals1 =

| goals2 =

| goals3 =

| goals4 = 1

| totalcaps =

| totalgoals =

| nationalyears1 =

| nationalteam1 = Canada

| nationalcaps1 = 23

| nationalgoals1 = 5

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|CAN}}}}

}}

George "Teddy" Pakos (born August 14, 1952) is a Canadian former soccer player who played as a second striker. His goals were crucial in the Canada national team qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.{{cite news|author= |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/the-unlikely-tale-of-a-world-cup-hero/article4189853/ |title=The unlikely tale of a World Cup hero |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date= June 20, 2010|access-date=2015-03-16}}

Club career

Pakos won Rookie of the Year honours in the final Pacific Coast League season, helping Victoria West United finish second overall in the 1972-73 league standings. He later played for Victoria's London Boxing Club (which later became the VAA) and won Canada Soccer's The Challenge Trophy in 1975. He began work at the same time as a water-meter technician for the city of Victoria, a job he continued for over 25 years. The third son of Polish immigrants, George's father Zenon played professionally in Poland before being displaced by the war. Pakos did play briefly professionally in the Western Soccer Alliance in 1985 with the Victoria Riptides and in the Canadian Soccer League with the Victoria Vistas in 1989.{{cite web|url=http://www.nasljerseys.com/ASL/Players/P/Pakos.George.htm

|title=George Pakos|publisher=NASL Jerseys|access-date=8 May 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vVcaiqoaufxngges_8tVFa_YWyJQ3APl/view|title = CSL 1991 Media Guide w 92 season info and all time records_HiQ.PDF}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.canadasoccer.com/profile/?id=2450&teamId=2068|title=Profile}}

International career

Spotted by coach Bob Bearpark while playing for the Vancouver Island Selects amateur team, Pakos made his debut with the Olympic team at age 30. He also played for Bearpark in two Olympic qualifying matches in 1983 against Bermuda, scoring once in each game. He was however left off the team that reached the quarterfinals of the Olympics.

The midfielder Pakos scored five times in 23 'A' internationals, all of which he earned from age 31 on. In 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification as a 33-year-old who had been cut from the team after the first round of qualifying, Pakos was recalled and scored the lone goal in a vital away win at Honduras. He also scored the first goal in a 2–1 home victory against Honduras that clinched Canada's berth in their only finals appearance. Pakos came on for the last 21 minutes of Canada's third match in the finals versus the Soviet Union in his final full international appearance.{{Cite web|url=https://canadasoccer.com/index.php?pid=2450&t=profile&|title=George Pakos|website=www.canadasoccer.com|access-date=May 8, 2020}}

Post-retirement

Pakos was head coach of V.A.A.'s Division 2 men's team of the Vancouver Island Soccer League in 2005–06.

In 2001, Pakos was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web|url=http://www.gvshof.ca/inductees-2/all-inductees/19-soccer/83-george-pakos-2001.html|title=George Pakos|website=GVSHOF|date=2001|access-date=September 15, 2018}}

Career statistics

:Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.

class="wikitable" ! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1	11 December 1983	Estadio General Francisco Morazán (San Pedro Sula, Honduras)	{{fb\|HON\|1949}}		1–3	Friendly match
2	4 April 1985	Civic Stadium (Portland, Oregon)	{{fb\|USA}}		1–1	Friendly match
3	25 August 1985	Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)	{{fb\|HON\|1949}}	1–0	1–0	1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	14 September 1985	King George V Park (St. John's, Newfoundland)	{{fb\|HON\|1949}}	1–0	2–1	1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	2 February 1986	Orange Bowl (Miami, Florida)	{{fb\|URU}}	1–1	1–3	Miami Cup

Honours

=Player=

Victoria London Boxing Club

Canadian Amateur Championship (Challenge Trophy) winner (1975)

Canada

CONCACAF Championship: 1985{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/conca85det.html|title=Torneo Premundial 1985 (IX Campeonato de Naciones (NORCECA) CONCACAF)|access-date=April 20, 2024}}